Expired Love Through New Eyes
by lunastars
Summary: "Beth sat slouched with her legs out of the open window and her feet resting on the wing mirror. She fiddled with the radio as they drove. It used to annoy Merle because she could never settle on a station and by the time she did they always arrived at their destination. Now it didn't bother him so much." - Meth. AU.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **_this is AU and is a Meth story. - It is inspired by Emily Kinney's music, in particular the song Kids because I love it so much :)_

_For this story Beth is anywhere between the ages of 20 and 25_  
><em>And Merle is in his mid forties :)<em>

* * *

><p><em>"So, tell me all your troubles<br>Just clear out your head  
>Then let's play hide and seek inside my bed<br>Forget the day you've had, forget the loves you've lived  
>Oh you and I are famous for pretending to be kids<br>Wash off all your grass stains, I'll pull off my shoes  
>Let's love like we are kids, all shiny and new."<em>

* * *

><p>Merle grabbed her from behind, wrapping his arms around her waist and swinging her around. Beth laughed hysterically as she held onto his arms. Eventually he stopped and set her down again but she kept a tight grip on him as she swayed a little on the spot, dizzy from being swung around so quickly.<p>

"I said ya can't get away," he teased as he pulled her back against his chest and nibbled at her ear.

"Enough of that," she warned, but the laughs that came in between made it difficult to take her seriously. "We were supposed to go home ages ago until we – _you – _got distracted."

"Home, huh?" He wiggled his eyebrows at her as he grinned.

Beth blushed as she looked at the ground. "Well, yours."

Before he could say anything she twirled away from him and headed over to his truck. She was almost there when Merle grabbed her hand and pulled her round, pushing her back softly and pinning her against the side of the truck.

"What ya getting all embarrassed for, Angel?"

"Nothing," she said quietly as she glanced down between them. "Now unless you want to take me back out to those fields I suggest we go."

"Oh, that don't sound like such a bad idea," he commented as he pulled a leaf out of her hair. "But I promised ya some food afterwards, so let's go."

"We were supposed to talk too," she reminded him as he pulled away and went around to the other side of the truck.

"Yeah, Angel, I know."

They both climbed in and Merle started up the engine. On the ride back they didn't talk. Beth sat slouched with her legs out of the open window and her feet resting on the wing mirror. She fiddled with the radio as they drove. It used to annoy Merle because she could never settle on a station and by the time she did they always arrived at their destination. Now it didn't bother him so much. He always knew something was bothering her when she didn't fiddle with it.

Like always she hadn't settled on a station before they pulled up at the trailer. She sighed as she pulled her legs back inside and wound the window up. Once it was fully up she pushed the door open and jumped down from the truck. The doors slammed behind them as the they made their way over to the trailer. Merle had to unlock the door, indicating that Daryl wasn't home yet.

"Place all to ourselves," Merle announced as they stepped inside.

"None of that," she said, pointing a finger at him. "You need to go and change your clothes. Need to get those stains out."

"Ain't got enough clothes for a wash," he pointed out as he kicked his sorry excuse for a washing machine.

"Well, I'm going to at least soak them," she commented as she kicked her shoes off. "Otherwise those grass stains aren't going to come out and that's the last decent pair of jeans you own. Now, go on."

"Yes, ma'am," he chuckled softly as he headed towards the back of the trailer where his bedroom was.

While he was gone she filled up the sink, ready to soak his clothes. When he came back out he was wearing a fresh pair of jeans but no shirt. His belt was undone and the buckle made noises with every step he took. He handed his jeans over to her and as she started to soak them he grabbed a beer out of the fridge. He sat and watched her while he drank it and when he was done he grabbed the take out menus from the top drawer.

"Pizza or Chinese?"

"I thought we were going out," she commented as she pushed her hair out of her eyes using her arm.

Merle was silent for a moment. "Sure, I can take ya out somewhere. Let me just get a shirt."

"Both," she said suddenly as he went to walk away. "Let's order both."

"Nah, Angel, I said I'd take you out earlier."

"And I always end up wishing we'd stayed in," she reminded him "Let's just order in."

"If you're embarrassed just say so."

She turned around to face him, her hands soapy and dripping everywhere. "It's not like that, it's just..."

"Just what?!" He was angry now. His tone and posture gave that away easily.

"I don't want you to spend money on me," she said simply. "If we order in it's easier for me to slip you some money for it and there's usually loads left for at least another two days."

Merle's features softened then as he stepped over to her. He placed a hand on the counter either side of her. "I like spending money on ya, I don't do it much anyway."

"Well then order us a pizza and some Chinese."

He shook his head at her and kissed her nose. "The usual?"

"Extra cheese," she nodded.

He moved away from her and grabbed the phone.

* * *

><p>A few hours later Merle and Beth were sat on the couch. She was at one end with her feet in Merle's lap who sat at the other end. There were boxes of Chinese take-out scattered along the table with some on the floor. Among them was an opened pizza box with a half eaten pizza inside. They had been watching old movies and eating away until they gave up on it.<p>

"I couldn't eat another bite if I tried," she trained as she sunk a little further into the couch.

Merle grabbed a bit of pizza crust, munched on it them let his head fall back. "Yeah, I'm beat."

"Good, then we should talk." He rolled his head to the side to look at her. She sat up properly, drawing her knees up to her chest. "We said we'd talk."

"What's there to talk about?" he asked gruffly.

"Why you don't go into the bar anymore for starters."

"Just drop it," he mumbled under his breath as his arm rested over his face.

"There was a time when I could barely drag you out of there, hell, Daryl struggled most often than not." She moved to sit up a little better with her legs tucked under her, but she still sat back away from him. "Now all of a sudden you won't even talk about it let alone step a foot inside."

"I was off my head, that's what ya want to hear?"

"Yes," she said softly. "I want to hear everything."

He looked over at her then. She was still sat with her legs underneath her but she was leaning her side against the back of the couch, her head rested on her hand as she watched him.

"Ya ain't gonna want to hear what I've got to say, darlin'," he told her, making sure she was looking right at him when he said it. "Trust me on that."

"Merle, _please_, you're worrying me." She shuffled up the couch to sit closer to him. "I've been here through a lot of shit, remember? Even before we started sleeping together. I'm not going anywhere until you talk to me because I can see how much it's weighing you down."

He clicked his tongue for a moment as he watched her. "You've probably seen me on every drug going and my last night in that place was no different. Add a few shots and God knows what else to the mix and I was gone. Not gone enough though."

"What do you mean?" she asked gently.

"I saw double a lot and I struggled to walk in a straight line but that didn't stop me from..."

She had taken a hold of his hand as he spoke effectively cutting him off. She had heard countless stories and been there for some of them herself. Merle on drugs was a horrible sight and it was worse when mixed with alcohol but she put up with it because she knew what he was like when he was clean. He still drank but he had quit the drugs not long after he stopped going to the bar. Drunk Merle could still be a horrid sight but he was a lot more manageable.

"Stop you from what?" she asked, bringing him out of his thoughts.

He snatched his hand away from her. "Stop me from screwing up and lying to ya about it."

"Merle, I've seen you at your worst," she reminded him as she tried to keep the hurt expression off of her face.

As she ran her hand over his head and kissed his temple Merle pulled away from her and awkwardly got off of the couch. "Don't, don't do that. I fucked up that night and I don't deserve ya treating me like I'm some saint or some asshole who can be saved." He held up his hand as she went to interject. His expression was cold. "I didn't come home that night. I fucked some girl whose name I don't remember in the back alley, just two days _after_ we said we'd give this thing a shot."

Beth tried to stop any emotion from giving her away as she watched him motion between the two of them. She had shown up to the trailer that night. Daryl had let her in on his way out. When the early hours of the morning arrived Beth figured Merle wasn't going to come home any time soon. She hated herself for thinking he was off with somebody else but now she knew that she had been right.

"Say something." His voice was gruff but otherwise portrayed no emotion.

"What the hell should I say?" she asked quietly as she stood up. "You _want_ me to be angry at you, I know that because I know how guilty you feel. The fact that the following week I caught you flushing your stash tells me as much."

"'Course I want ya to be angry at me," he growled. "I should have told you _weeks_ ago when it happened. You know what, you should just go."

As he went to walk away something inside of Beth snapped. She reached out for his hand and forced him to turn back around. "You want me to go? You're not just punishing yourself here. If you really felt that sorry for me and you're doing this for me then yes, you would have told me weeks ago. You would have been honest with me instead of lying to me."

"So you would've forgiven me back then?"

"Maybe not," she shrugged. "But I would have tried."

She dropped her hand from his and he blinked at her. "Angel?"

"We promised that no matter how shitty or hurtful the truth might be we would be honest." She tugged at the hem of her shirt contemplating what she wanted to say. "I don't want to leave, but we are clearly not good for each other. You never did do any form of relationship, I knew that walking into this, and I've clearly not got the best affect on you. This thing was a huge mistake. We should have kept things the way they were before."

Merle didn't argue. He wanted to tell her that she had been the best thing to ever happen to him but right now he knew that would be clutching at straws. Her severing the ties made it a lot easier, it meant that the choice was completely her own and he didn't have to hurt her anymore than he already had. When he didn't say anything she nodded her head a little and her eyes drifted up to look at the ceiling. He knew she was trying not to cry but he pretended not to notice. He stepped back as she moved passed him and went over to where her shoes were. She slipped them on and looked back at him.

"Let me take you home," he offered up, because he wasn't that much of an asshole to let her walk.

"I'll call for a ride," she said as she headed for the trailer door.

Before he could say anything she left. Beth forced herself not to cry until she was far enough away from the trailer. Sure she was the one to actually end things but a small part of her was hoping that Merle would argue. Whatever was between them was doomed from the start, everybody said so. They were childish, she was naive. It never occurred to her that the people who said those things might actually be right.

* * *

><p><em>R&amp;R<em>


	2. Chapter 2

**I changed the title from "Expired Love With Fresh Eyes" to "Expired Love Through New Eyes."**

_For the purpose of this story Daryl is in his mid-thirties._

* * *

><p><em>"Passing hours make it clearer to see<br>Morning sex is for lovers  
>And you're not in love with me<br>Oh I tried hard to make something of this  
>Yes, I worked hard but it seems I have missed."<em>

* * *

><p>"You're drunk."<p>

"And you're a hypocritical bitch," Merle snapped.

Beth tried to not let Merle's words affect her. He was drunk after all. "That makes no sense."

"Really?" he asked as he stumbled over to the kitchen, searching for another drink. "You leave me over some woman and you don't think I haven't noticed?"

"Noticed what?" Beth questioned, ducking out of the way as Merle reached for the cupboard behind her head.

"The way ya watch my brother when he fixes up his truck," Merle snapped, finally finding a bottle at the back of the cupboard. "And the way ya are with that Rick."

"I'm not even going to defend myself to you," Beth said after a moment. "If you were sober you would realise how stupid you sound. You're just picking problems where there aren't any, and even if you are right… I broke up with you because _we_ were bad for each other."

Merle scoffed at that as he abandoned the glass he had been using and just drank straight from the bottle. "Yet it was my fuck up that ended everything, well while I'm on a role. I never loved ya, ya were just a good fuck."

"Merle," Beth gasped. She may have been the one to end things, but that didn't stop the way she felt or the way she thought Merle felt.

"God, I thought ya were never gonna put out." He finished the last of the bottle's contents before letting it drop to the floor, causing it to smash. "Now ya can go and be somebody else's whore."

Beth bit her bottom lip to stop from crying as she nodded her head a little. "Well, if that's how you feel."

"Yeah, it is."

Without another word Beth left the trailer. She slammed the door hard behind her and finally started to cry. She hated the way Merle made her feel and she had to get as far away from him as possible. She fumbled for her keys and eventually pulled them out of her bag. By the time she got to her car she was constantly having to wipe her eyes, her vision blurring from the amount of tears.

Eventually she was able to get into the car. She set her bag on the seat beside her. Her hands were shaking so much that she couldn't put the key in in order to start the engine. Beth kept trying until the keys fell out of her hand. She hit her head against the steering wheel in frustration before she tried to reach down for her keys. She was struggling to catch her breath as she continued to cry.

By the time she finally got them her door was opened up. Startled, she dropped the keys again and turned to look. Daryl was stood there. He had one hand on the roof of the car and the other on the car door as he leaned in to look at her.

"What are you doing?" he asked, his tone angry.

Beth began to cry harder as she went to search for her keys again. She couldn't handle Daryl hating her too. She loved Merle, but Daryl was always the nicer of the two. He was always the rational one.

"Stop," he said as he reached into the car and took a hold of her. "You can't drive in this state."

"I _need_ to get out here," she told him as she began to struggle.

"Okay, okay," he said in as much of a calming tone as he could manage. "Let me take you, just get out of the car."

Knowing that even if she got her keys he would never move, so Beth reached over and grabbed her bag before getting out of the car. Daryl leaned in momentarily to pick her keys up off of the floor. He then shut the car door and locked it for her.

"So, you gonna tell me what happened?"

"Merle happened."

Daryl froze as he looked over at the trailer. "What did he do?"

"You heard about us breaking up?" He nodded but didn't say anything. "Well, I came over here because although I stand by the fact that we should break up, I don't want to lose him entirely."

"That doesn't explain why you're like this."

"He was drunk," she explained as she leaned against her car. "He said I was a hypocrite, said he notice the way I look at you and the way I am with Rick."

"The way you look at _me_?" Daryl asked, startled that he was a part of this.

"Yeah, the way I watch you when you're fixing your truck up." She shrugged because she knew damn well it was stupid. "He said he never loved me and that he was just waiting for me to put out. That's all I'm good for. He… He called me a whore."

"Jesus Merle," Daryl muttered to himself before he turned to Beth. "You know he didn't mean it."

"Didn't he?"

She doesn't wait for a response as she starts to walk over to where Daryl's truck his parked. When she gets there she tries to open up the door but it's locked. Neither of them said a word as Daryl went straight for the driver's side and unlocked the car.

The two of them climbed inside and the second her belt was on Daryl started the car and they were off. He switched on the radio to fill the silence as he pulled out onto the road. They were driving for a little while. Beth occasionally sniffed and wiped at her eyes, otherwise she had calmed down a considerable amount.

"What are you doing?" Beth asked as she noticed Daryl's speed drop.

Suddenly he slowed down more and pulled the truck over to the side of the road. He turned the engine off and looked over at her. "You need to talk to him."

"I know you're his brother, but for once in your life you can admit he's wrong and _not _defend him," Beth argued.

"I'm not defending him, but I know my brother and I know in the morning he's going to regret everything he said to you."

She rolled her eyes and folded her arms over her chest. "If he remembers."

"He will, I'll make sure of it," Daryl assured. "He'll know he was wrong about me."

"And what about Rick?" she questioned. "Is he still going to accuse me then?"

"Even I don't know why you spend so much time with Rick."

"Oh, not you too," she said, frustrated. "His son Carl is helping out on the farm. He told Rick that he wanted to be a cop and nothing else. Rick knows how hard the job can be, how it can change some people and he wanted Carl to look other places first, especially while he's so young. He had a word with my father who agreed to let Carl help out on the farm. Sometimes Rick comes over on his break or when he has a shift that ends early. Sometimes he helps out too. A couple of times Merle has shown up to the farm to pick me up while Rick's been there, occasionally I'm helping Rick out." She glares at Daryl. "Your brother is just seeing problems where there aren't any. I can't believe you're doing the same thing."

"I'm sorry, alright?" Daryl told her softly as he put his head back. "I didn't realise."

She looked at him. "You still want me to go talk to him, don't you?"

"I'm not asking you to forgive or to take him back," Daryl assured. "I just want you to talk to him. I can't lose my brother, Beth."

"He's not that stupid."

"Merle knows every drug dealer in town, he might just be that stupid."

Beth sighed angrily to herself. "Well, I guess we're turning back then."

"I owe you one," Daryl commented as he started up the engine and began to turn the truck around.

"No you don't," Beth told him. "Your brother might be an ass, but I still love him."

* * *

><p>On the way back to the trailer they had stopped once again. Beth grabbed two coffees from the gas station, knowing that Merle would probably need it and she certainty did. Daryl filled up the truck while they were there and by the time they got back to the trailer they had been gone a long time; almost an hour, if not longer.<p>

Daryl waited outside as Beth took the coffees into the trailer. As she got inside she spotted a woman standing in the kitchen. Beth stood there feeling an idiot with a coffee in each hand. She placed them both on the counter as she studied the woman, a woman wearing Merle's shirt.

"Oh." The woman seemed to have just notice Beth standing there.

"Hi," Beth said, still staring. She recognised this woman. She worked at Merle's regular place. Had she been the one he had slept with?

"Erm… Are you… Do you know the brothers?"

Beth nodded her head slowly. "Yeah, Daryl's just outside."

"Oh, is he coming in?"

"No," Beth said suddenly as she started to open the trailer door again. "I- We just came to check on Merle, we're heading out."

"What about your coffee?" the woman asked as she motioned to the drinks.

Beth didn't respond as she quickly left the trailer, this time letting the door swing just behind her. She tried to catch her breath as she rushed over to Daryl's truck. He was leaning against the driver's side and he straightened up when he spotted her.

"What happened?" he asked her.

She got to the passenger side and climbed in. Daryl hurried to climb in too and before he could ask another question she looked at him. "Take me home, _please_."

Daryl started up the engine and started to drive away. When they were out on the road he glanced over at her. "Talk to me."

"He slept with some woman at the bar, I don't know who but when I stepped into the trailer there was this woman there. I know she works at the bar. What if it's the same one?" Beth asked as she willed herself not to cry. "She was in those skimpy shorts they all wear and she had Merle's shirt on."

"Where was she?" Daryl questioned as he turned onto a busier road.

"In the kitchen."

"So you didn't actually see her with Merle?"

Beth looked at Daryl in disbelief. "After what he said to me earlier is it really hard to believe that he's already moved on to somebody else?"

"I know, I'm just trying to get the whole picture here," Daryl tried to assure her.

Beth looked away from him to face forward. She gasped as she frantically moved her hands. "Daryl!"

His head snapped forward to see a line of traffic in front of him. He slammed on the breaks but they weren't slowing down quick enough. Realising that they were going to crash into the back of the car in front and cause a huge accident Daryl swerved to the side. The car hurtled off to the side of the road. They were still slowing down but not enough to stop them from crashing right into the barrier at the side of the road.

Daryl flew forward, his chest slamming against the steering wheel. Beth also went flying forward. Her head hit off of the dashboard. Daryl groaned as he tried to sit up. He could hear the voices of people who must have pulled their cars over to help.

"Beth?" He looked over at her. Beth was still positioned with her head against the dashboard. She was facing him but her eyes were closed and he swore he could see blood. "Beth!"

He continued to yell for her, even when the ambulance showed and the sirens drowned his voice out.

* * *

><p><em>R&amp;R<em>


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **_ugh, this took me so long to get too and I'm so sorry. I'm not entirely happy with it but I know if I play with it too much it's just going to get worse. This story won't be long at all, probably 5 chapters in total. :)_

* * *

><p>"<em>I know that you're much older<br>And you've had many lovers  
>But there's no place I'd rather be<br>Than underneath the covers  
>Next to you.<em>"

* * *

><p>"Where is she?!"<p>

Daryl glanced up at the sound of his brother's voice. He ignored the nurses protests as he got off of the bed and made his way over to the door. It hurt like hell, but his hatred for his brother in that moment drove him on.

Merle was out in the corridor yelling at some nurses. He looked sober, but from the way he was acting it was hard to tell. Daryl leaned against the doorway momentarily to catch his breath before he stepped out into the corridor, finally gaining the eldest Dixon's attention.

"Daryl?" He looked his brother up and down. "Where is she?"

"I don't know," Daryl replied through gritted teeth. "They wheeled her away so fast. She was unconscious and bleeding."

Merle put his hands on the back of his and crouched down. "Is she… Is she alive?"

This time Daryl looked at the nurses. "Is she?"

One of them stepped forward. "Miss Greene is alive. She's got to get some scans, but I can't tell you where she is or give you any more information."

"We're family," Daryl told her. "_Please_."

"Her next emergency contacts are her father and sister, none of them are answering, but until all procedures have been followed through we can't tell you anything," the nurse explained. "If she wakes up or one of her emergency contacts comes, then they can decide if any information is passed onto you."

Without another word the nurses turned and went back to their stations. Daryl cursed as he turned back towards the room he had been in. His nurse was looking at him disapprovingly. He had a few broken ribs and a slight bump to the head, but otherwise he was fine.

"I don't need anything," Daryl told her.

"Well I beg to differ." She stood to the side and pointed into the room. "I need to finish treating you."

Daryl looked down at Merle. "You fucked up big this time."

Before Merle could look up at him Daryl walked back into the room. He sat down on the bed and allowed the nurse to continue to strap up his chest. The pressure hurt, but after a few moments Daryl started to feel much better.

"I know I screwed up."

Daryl looked up to see Merle standing in the doorway. The nurse gave Daryl a warning look before she left the room to give them some time alone.

"You did more than that, Merle."

"Look, I hurt her," Merle growled. "But I'm not the one who put her in the hospital."

"You don't know how wrong you are about that," Daryl scoffed.

"And what the hell is that supposed to me?"

"It means that she wouldn't have even been in the damn car if it weren't for you!" Daryl jumped down off of the bed and approached Merle. "She was a mess, because of what _you_ said to her. She could barely hold her keys and she was going to drive herself home. If I didn't drive her then she would have killed herself." Merle's jaw twitched, but otherwise his face gave away no emotions. "We turned around, because she wanted to talk to you. She hoped you had sobered up enough to listen. Only this time didn't go so well either."

"Wait, after she left she came back again?" Merle questioned, frowning at the new piece of information. "When?"

"Hours later." Daryl shrugged as he turned away from Merle. "She said there was some woman in the trailer and she was wearing your shirt."

"Jesus," Merle cursed as he turned abruptly and stormed from the room.

Daryl stood stunned for a moment before he followed Merle out. His brother was a few steps ahead of him, but Daryl didn't rush to catch up, he knew with his chest that he wouldn't be able to anyway. Instead he settled into a quick enough pace that allowed for Merle to stay within eyesight. As they moved Daryl watched the signs, trying to judge where he was headed.

They walked for so long that Daryl was starting to think about shouting out for Merle. The hospital was big and it had been a while since Beth had been brought in, she could be anywhere. But then Daryl spotted Maggie down one of the corridors and he stopped dead. She was sat on the chairs alone outside one of the rooms.

"Merle!" Daryl called.

Maggie turned to face him as Merle yelled, "what?!"

"Get your ass back here," Daryl called, his voice a lot softer this time. "I think I found her."

He started walking down the corridor towards Maggie without even checking to see if Merle had heard him or not. He was close to the chairs when Maggie stood up and made up the distance from her side. She put her arms around Daryl's neck in a hug and he loosely wrapped his arms around her waist.

"_Ow,_" he hissed when Maggie squeezed too tight.

"Dammit, sorry," she said quickly as she let go and practically jumped back. "I heard... Are you okay?"

Daryl nodded. "Just some broken ribs. How's Beth?"

"I only just got here," Maggie explained, no one was at the farm. "They won't let me in. They say she's stable, but they need to stop the bleeding. It got worse during her scans and they didn't have time to take her to an OR."

"Jesus," Daryl cursed, turning around just enough to see Merle making his way towards them.

"What the hell happened, Daryl?"

"She was a state," Daryl explained. "She'd had an argument and I offered to drive her home. I convinced her to go back to the trailer and sort things out, but it didn't work."

"And you got into the crash after that?" Maggie asked, making sure she was making sense of it all.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, I didn't see the line of traffic before it was too late," Daryl admitted, hanging his head.

"It's not you I'm angry at." Daryl looked up just in time to see Maggie charge towards Merle. When she reached him she just started hitting him over and over again. "What the hell did you do?!"

To both Maggie and Daryl's surprise Merle took it. He let her hit him over and over, and he did nothing but back himself up against one of the walls. It was only when her attacked slowed that he finally spoke.

"I fucked up, I get that," Merle said, his voice low. "But I didn't fuck up as badly as she thinks. I _need_ to see her, I have to explain."

Maggie went to open her mouth when she was cut off. "Miss Greene?"

The three of them turned around to see a nurse stepping out of the room. Maggie glared at Merle before pushing him hard and then turning away. She walked towards the nurse.

"Yes, is my sister okay?"

"We managed to stop the bleeding," the nurse informed. "The doctor will explain everything. All three of you can see her, but only one at a time."

"You go," Daryl said to her. Maggie looked at him briefly and nodded her head. When she stepped into the room Daryl turned to his brother. "What is there to explain?"

"I'm not gonna make excuses for what I said. The fact that I was drunk shouldn't make anything forgiveable." He ran a hand over his head and moved to sit down on one of the seats. "But that girl in the trailer, it wasn't what it looked like."

"Then what did it look like?"

Merle just looked ahead and didn't say a word more about it.

* * *

><p>When Maggie came out she was talking to the doctor so Daryl slipped in next. He felt nothing but guilt rise up inside of him at the sight of her. She was still out but she looked a lot better and there was no visible blood. He sat with her for a little while. He would have made his turn a lot shorter, but he knew how agonising it was for Merle to wait and he wanted his brother to be punished too. Even if Beth was wrong about the woman in the trailer, she was still a state before that because of Merle.<p>

When it did come time for Merle to go in he had never moved so fast in his life. He only slowed once he was inside of the room. He waited for the door to click shut behind him before he went over and sat down in the chair beside her bed. He hesitantly took her hand in his. For a moment he just watched their hands, enjoying and remembering the moment while he could.

"You were wrong, Angel," he said softly as he rested their hands back down on the bed, keeping their fingers interlocked. "I'm sorry for what I said. I can't blame the drink 'cause I still remember it, but you were wrong about what you saw."

Merle heard the door click open behind him and he saw Daryl step into the room. "I want to hear what you've got to say too."

Without responding directly to Daryl, Merle looked back to Beth. "I was stupid. A little after ya left I came outside. I was gonna drive to the bar, but I couldn't find the right keys, so I started walking."

"Stupid idiot," Daryl muttered from the back of the room.

"The woman you saw is Demi, she runs the bar now, took it over 'bout a year ago now," Merle explained before running his free hand over his mouth. "She must have shut the place down early, she was driving home and she passed me. I guess I was swayin' all over the place. She convinced me to get into her car and she drove me home. I don't even think I locked the damn trailer door."

"Doesn't explain why she was making herself at home," Daryl spoke as he came closer to the hospital bed, but Merle knew that Daryl knew Demi so there was a chance that he could still believe what he had to say.

"She tried to make me some coffee, but I knocked mine all over her out of anger. I think she made me go and lie down. She must have taken one of my shirts after she helped me get to my room." Merle looked at Daryl like he knew the story was unbelievable, but he hoped his brother would believe that it _was_ the truth. "I woke up a while later with a sore head and Demi cleaning the trailer. She said somebody dropped by."

"That would have been us," Daryl said, filling in the gap. "Beth went in alone."

"We were interrupted by a phone call from the hospital telling me that Daryl had been in an accident," Merle explained as he put his focus back on Beth. "I found out you were in the car as well when I got here." He brought Beth's hand up and kissed the back of it. "It sounds like a shit, made-up excuse, but it's not. It's the truth. I don't deserve ya forgiveness for anything that's happened, but I want ya to know that I wouldn't do that to ya again, couldn't."

Merle knew that everything he had said might not have even been heard, but he had to get it out. He had to explain. If he had to do it again when she woke up then so be it, he would. As he considered turning to Daryl and answering the questions his brother no doubt had Beth's hand twitched. Merle looked down at it and eventually her hand moved again, holding his back. When he looked towards her face her eyes were open slightly and watching him carefully.

"Angel," he breathed out.

For a moment she just stared, but then tears started to build up and she closed her eyes again. "Merle."

His heart twisted at the pain he heard in her voice. "I'm so sorry."

"I heard," she said after a moment. "I heard everything."

"And do ya believe me?"

She opened her eyes again, but this time she looked over at Daryl. "The woman he mentioned, she knew you, would you believe what he's said about her?"

"Yeah, I know Demi," Daryl agreed as moved closer to Beth. "She used to call me when Merle got too drunk to stand up straight. She's a good person, it's believable that she would drive him home with no other motive than to help."

Beth looked back to Merle. "Did you mean all of those things you said to me at the trailer?"

"No," he responded instantly. "Not a word of it. I was just hurting and I took my anger out on you. It could have been anyone."

"I believe you." Merle felt relief go through him, but he didn't allow himself to show it. Something told him that it wasn't going to be that easy, he was right. "But I don't know if I forgive you. I want to be alone for a bit."

As Beth pulled her hand away Merle just nodded. She closed her eyes and turned over a little. For a moment Merle just waited before he lifted himself out of the chair and left the room.

* * *

><p><em>R&amp;R<em>


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **_one more chapter after this._

* * *

><p>"<em>I'm a little bit drunk<br>You're a little bit stoned  
>I'm a little bit restless<br>We're both alone tonight, tonight  
>A blue buzz in the dark, a message in my ear<br>I'm pulling at my jeans waiting for you  
>To get here, tonight, tonight."<em>

* * *

><p><strong>Two Years Earlier<strong>

Beth stumbled up to the bar. This one wouldn't have her sister showing up and giving her the third degree. At least she hoped it wouldn't. She had gone out tonight in the hopes of clearing her head for a little bit, she didn't expect to spend half of her cash on a taxi to go to another bar just so that she could get away from her sister.

"You're the last person I'd expect to see here."

She was almost at the door when the voice hit her. She looked over to the old barrels that were grouped a little way off. Perched on them was Merle Dixon. He was leaning forward, balanced on his knees with a cigarette in his hand.

"And why am I the last person you would expect to see?" she found herself asking.

"You're the littlest Greene, right?"

Beth rolled her eyes as she walked over to him. "Technically speaking."

"I've seen your sister out before," Merle commented as he sat up straight. "Hell, even seen your brother out. Never you."

"Well clearly you weren't looking hard enough."

He grinned at that and nodded his head a little. "Clearly."

She turned back towards the door, but paused momentarily on her way. "Are you gonna show me what's the best to drink here or what?"

As she looked over her shoulder at him she noted the stunned look on his face. It was gone mere seconds later, but it had been there. She couldn't blame him. A lot of the town were warned about the Dixons. Not so much Daryl anymore, but always Merle. He was usually stoned or drunk or both.

"Sure," he finally said as he came over to join her, and together they walked the rest of the way to the door. "I've got a few things that could make your face go red." Beth blushed slightly as she reached for the door handle and Merle chuckled. "Wasn't expecting it to be that easy."

"Shut up," she muttered as she pushed the door to the bar open.

As they stepped inside Beth knew she would normally run away again if she hadn't already had a drink. The bar looked nice underneath it all, but there was a lot of noise and people who looked like they could snap her in two any day of the week. Drunk, stoned or both, she was glad she had Merle.

"Over there."

She followed his gaze to two free seats that sat at the edge of the bar. She made her way through the crowd and propped herself up onto the stool that wasn't next to anyone. Merle ordered a couple of drinks and then sat down beside her.

"What did you order?" she asked as she fiddled with her hands for something to do.

"Never you mind that," Merle said as two shot glasses were placed onto the bar. "Just don't think about it and drink up."

A couple of times Beth reached for the glass and retracted her hand again, until eventually she just grabbed it and knocked it back before she had time to talk herself out of it. Merle howled with laughter beside her as she almost choked on it and knocked back his own.

"How was that, Angel?"

She slid the glass along towards him. "Easy. What's next?"

* * *

><p>They went on like that for a while. Merle ordered a couple more and Beth drank them. They didn't drink much beyond that amount because they got distracted with playing pool and by the other people in the bar. At some point he disappeared and when he came back Beth could tell that he had taken something, she didn't say anything though. He wasn't cruel and he hadn't really lost focus on her, in fact he was a lot lighter and more amused. Beth could deal with both of those things.<p>

When it came to closing time Beth was still restless. Merle was getting a lift back to his trailer and she knew that even if she didn't want to she would have to take a taxi back home. She placed some extra cash on the bar to thank the guy who had been serving them all night considering she hadn't touched her own money once that night and then she headed outside.

She was about to call for a taxi when someone took her phone out of her hand. She whipped round to see Merle looking at it funny before he handed it back to her. "Who you calling?"

"Taxi," she said. The air alone had woken her up a bit. "I didn't bring my car out."

"We can take you."

Beth looked passed Merle to his ride who nodded in agreement. Beth had seen him around before but knew little to nothing about him. She looked back at Merle who sort of smiled at her and shrugged like it was no big deal. Eventually she nodded her head, Merle motioned with his arm for her to go first. When she got to the car she paused.

"Just head to Merle's," she decided. "I can go from there myself."

She got into the back of the car before she could get a response, but when Merle slid into the front passenger seat he was grinning. Beth shook her head at him and looked out of the window as they began to drive away.

When they pulled up at the trailer Beth got out first and headed over to sit on the front steps. Merle stayed in the car for a bit, talking, before he too got out. He came over to where she was as the car drove away.

"How come you ain't going home?" he asked her.

"Because I went out to get away from home," she shrugged. "Plus, I'm feeling restless. I doubt you're going to sleep any time soon."

"Nope," he agreed. "Get your ass up then so we can get inside."

She held out her hand and he took it, helping her to stand up. She stepped aside and he went up to open the door, pushing it open and stepping side. Beth followed him in and took in the look of the place. It was surprisingly clean considering the way people talked.

"Sit down," he said motioning towards the worn couch as he disappeared towards the back of the trailer.

Beth wandered over to the couch and dropped down onto it. As she settled she could hear the water running from what she guessed was the shower. She put her feet up on the coffee table as she waited. She felt warm and cosy as she sunk a little further into the couch. She was so at ease with everything going on around her that she didn't even bother to move when Merle finally came back out and sat down beside her.

"Feeling better?" she questioned as she looked up at him.

He rested his arm along the back of the couch and looked down at her. "I'm feeling real good, Angel."

"I like that," she decided as she looked forward again.

"Like what?"

"Angel."

Merle leaned down and kissed that spot behind her ear, before bringing his lips over just slightly. "_Angel_."

Beth closed her eyes as a shiver went through her body. She could sense Merle was still close, she could feel his breath against her neck. Biting her lip she took a moment before she turned her head to the side and kissed him. As he moved his lips against hers he wrapped an arm around her. She rolled over, awkwardly trying to get up from her slouch. Eventually, in a flurry of awkward movements, she was up on her knees and leaning into him as he held onto her. They kissed for a long time. Merle surprising her by letting her set the pace and not trying to hurry anything along.

As her lips began to feel it Beth pulled away momentarily to look down at him. He didn't really do or say anything, he just looked up at her. It was only when Beth finally smiled that the corner of his lips finally tugged up. She bit her lip and continued to smile as she pushed him back to lie back before she leaned down to kiss him.

* * *

><p>When Beth woke up the next morning she was in, on and around a heap of blankets. She stretched her body out a little before wrapping one of the blankets even tighter around herself. She was in the middle of the living room and the fact that she remembered every detail of last night told her that she hadn't been drunk enough.<p>

She didn't regret anything, but the fact that she was alone did worry her. She looked around and raised her head high enough to see a piece of paper sitting on the couch. She sat up and held the blanket up to her chest as she reached over to grab the paper.

The front of it said 'angel' and when she opened it there were only a few words scribbled inside telling her that he had had to go. He mentioned something about there being coffee and what to do in terms of locking up the trailer. It surprised her that it didn't make her feel anything. She wasn't angry at all that he wasn't there when she woke up. The fact that he had wrote 'angel' on the note told her that he had remembered everything, although it did make her wonder if he knew her real name at all.

She didn't allow herself to think about it though as she got up and rushed to get dressed. She wasn't sure if Daryl had come home at any point and she didn't fancy having both of the Dixons see her in a state of undress. When she finally got herself dressed she didn't bother with the coffee Merle had talked about and instead just left, locking up the trailer the way he had explained in the note.

It didn't take long after that for the taxi to arrive and take her home. It was still reasonably early, so she managed to get passed anyone who might be out on the farm or awake around the house. When she got up to her room she shut the door behind her and collapsed onto the bed. She definitely felt better than she had yesterday before she went out.

She laid there for a moment, thinking about it all. As the time rolled on she could hear the house become noisier and noisier. When she started to hear the noise of people walking pass her door she finally got up off of the bed and went over to lock the door. With the reassurance that no one would come in and be able to talk to her Beth stripped out of her clothes and headed into the attached bathroom to shower.

She stood under the spray for a long time. There was no particular reason for it. She just wanted to stay in the little bubble she had created with Merle the previous night for a little bit longer. It worked for a bit, at least until the water started to grow cold. When it got too much to bear and she began to shiver, she turned the water off, revealing the sound of ringing from the other room.

As quickly as she could Beth stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself before rushing off into the bedroom. She got over to her phone just in time and picked it up. She collapsed back onto the bed and brought it up to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Angel."

Her stomach tightened like a knot and she found herself biting her lip. "Merle?"

"Someone else call you that?"

"How'd you get my number?" she asked curiously.

He chuckled softly. "Need to know basis."

"Can I know _why_ you're calling?"

It was silent on the other end for a moment. Beth wasn't surprised, if Merle's reputation was correct then he didn't call someone the next morning, he rarely even left a note. Beth seemed to have gotten both.

"Figured I'd come pick you up."

"Then what?"

"We'd go somewhere, anywhere you want."

"What's my name?" she asked before adding: "my real name."

"Beth," he said without missing a beat.

She grinned to herself and covered her face with her free hand. "When are you coming to pick me up?"

"I'm already on my way," he said before the line went dead, leaving Beth's smile to only grow bigger.

* * *

><p><strong>Present Day<strong>

Beth woke up to the sound of someone saying 'angel' softly. She looked up to see Merle standing over her, worry etched across his face. She remembered waking up earlier and speaking with him, but nothing since then.

"What's wrong?" she found herself asking.

"The machines were going crazy."

Beth glanced over at the heart monitor and other machines that looked like they were okay now. "I had a dream… A memory."

"Oh…"

She looked over to see him sinking into the seat beside her bed. "Where is Maggie and Daryl?"

"Maggie stepped out to phone home and Daryl went to get a drink," Merle explained. "What was your dream about? Your memory."

"You… Us."

Merle smiled softly and nodded his head. "What was it?"

"The night we met properly."

"At the bar, you showed up while I was outside , said I could make your face go red," he said, causing Beth's heart to tighten at the realisation that he remembered. "Then we ended up back at mine."

"And you picked me up the next day," she continued on, because that was always her favourite part. "You took me to the lake and we just stayed there for a long while."

"And we were normal for a bit," he agreed. "Never had a repeat of that night for a long while."

"Surprised you never got bored of me."

"You hit me hard, Angel."

Beth looked at him and her eyes started to water. "I like that."

Merle smiled knowingly. "Like what?"

She wiped at her eyes gently. "Angel."

Merle leaned down and kissed that spot behind her ear, before bringing his lips over just slightly. "_Angel_."


End file.
